Athens, Greece — Dozens of Greek firefighters and planes with water bombs managed to control a large forest fire on the outskirts of Athens on Wednesday night that forced authorities to evacuate two nearby settlements.
Summer wildfires also hit Turkey, Greece’s Mediterranean neighbor, where two villages were evacuated but no injuries were reported.
The Greek fire service said the fire near Athens, one of dozens across the country on Wednesday, had been largely contained, but firefighters would remain on alert throughout the night to prevent it from reigniting.
Authorities said the wildfire was exacerbated by windy, hot and dry weather and appeared to have been started deliberately.
It erupted among low bushes and olive trees in a sparsely inhabited area near Vari, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of central Athens.
Fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said winds at times reached gale force, while police were called in to remove some residents from their homes.
Local authorities also said the fire appeared to be subsiding Wednesday night.
“The situation is being controlled,” local mayor Dimitris Kioussis told state television ERT. “I hope that in the next two hours everything will be over.”
No injuries were reported. ERT showed a burned house, as well as destroyed plastic boats in a parking area for yachts and speedboats. The fire service said it was too early to confirm reports of damage to businesses and homes.
More than 140 firefighters, assisted by 16 water-dropping planes and helicopters, worked to control the fire.
The surrounding area is dotted with hundreds of scattered buildings, both homes and businesses.
Vassilis Kikilias, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, said arson was strongly suspected.
“Investigators have visual material that clearly shows an arsonist starting the fire in dry brush,” he said. “A can of gasoline was found nearby.”
In recent days there have been dozens of forest fires in Greece scorching summer temperatures, but they were extinguished before causing great damage. Several people were arrested and charged with accidentally setting the flames.
Vathrakogiannis, the fire service spokesman, said Wednesday was “a very difficult day” because of the weather conditions.
“In the last few hours we have constantly had new fires, almost one every ten minutes,” he said. “Most were treated immediately.”
The metropolitan area of Athens was also declared at high risk of fire on Thursday.
Forest fires They are common in Greece’s hot, dry summers and have caused dozens of deaths in recent years. The authorities have warned particularly high risk this summer after a dry, warm winter that has left vegetation dry.
Firefighters and aircraft were battling another large fire in the southern Peloponnese region that forced the evacuation of a village, as well as fires in central Greece and on the island of Lesvos in the eastern Aegean Sea.
Earlier, firefighters extinguished fires east of Athens and on the Aegean islands of Evia and Naxos, where a man was arrested on suspicion of accidentally starting the fire.
In Turkey, authorities said Wednesday they had brought under control two forest fires on the historic Gallipoli peninsula and Eceabat, both in the northwestern province of Canakkale. Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers, assisted by 15 water-launching planes, battled the fires that broke out on Tuesday. The Eceabat fire reportedly started when a fire began burning agricultural waste accidentally scattered in a forest.
Two Gallipoli towns were evacuated as a precaution, officials said. The area was the scene of heavy fighting during the First World War, and many of Gallipoli’s historic monuments were temporarily closed to visitors due to the fire.
Four more fires were reported in western Turkey on Wednesday.
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